Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, retired Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah on Monday said Nigeria’s security challenges has become more complex because of the rampant and indiscriminate use of illicit drugs by the youths in the country.
Retired Rear Admiral John-Jonah stated this when he received members of Course 27 of the National Defence College, Jaji, Kaduna state, led by Deputy Commandant of the institution, Major General Peter J. Dauke in Government House, Yenagoa.
He described this year’s theme: “Youth Management and National Security” as apt, noting that youths under the influence of drugs like tramadol, codeine, marijuana among others, have become nuisance as they are used as tools to foment trouble and chaos in the society.
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The Deputy Governor tasked relevant authorities including the military, police and other security agencies to adequately educate the citizenry on security challenges facing the nation as a panacea to tackling the problem.
He said “The theme is apt. Security challenges in the country are getting more complicated and the ready tool for people to use are the youths and if you are not able to understand and study what is happening to the youths, in most cases your estimate may never be correct.
At the moment, the challenges are becoming more complex because of the ready use of drugs. There is rampant use of drugs by youths all over the country, not only in Bayelsa state.
Those under the influence of drugs are the ones that you can easily mislead to behave in ways that they become nuisance to the community and then crime rates will increase, they become less useful to themselves as well as the society.
If you do not educate the people, security challenges will come up. The person who understands the implication of the action he is taking is less likely to be led astray than somebody who has been given opportunity. So I am very happy that this particular year’s study has to do with the issue of security.
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Earlier in a remark, the Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Defence College, Major-General Peter J. Dauke said the team was in Bayelsa state as part of a tour to study the role of youths in the society in terms of management and security.
Major-General Dauke, who noted that Course 27 comprises of 130 participants and 17 allied participants from Brazil, Nepal and India, pointed out that youths may have adverse effect on national security if not engaged adequately.
